Pendalia: Malik - New Beginnings

Malik - New Beginnings - Chapter One Pt. 3

"Yes, yes, all the same! Come in, your highness, sit by the fire," Zink's tall, large frame moved from the doorway and back inside, allowing Malik to enter- his chin held high and his ears twisted outwardly in distrust. One could never be too careful around a dragon, especially one like Zink.

    Malik took a careful seat on the sofa closest to the fire, appreciating the warmth against his skin. He took his hat off of his head and sat it beside him, looking over to Zink who sunk away into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses from the cupboard.

    "Some cognac?," Zink asked and Malik nodded, turning back over to the fire. "Were you expecting my presence? You answered the door before I even knocked," Malik commented. Zink chuckled in return. "No, you were simply dawdling out there just as I so happened to have looked out the window to notice. Merely a coincidence," Zink stated, walking over with two half-filled glasses of cognac, setting Malik's down on the coffee table in front of him.

The dragon plopped down in his seat, bringing his foot above his knee as he wrapped his arm around a cushion, taking a long sip of his drink. "So what brings you by, Mal? You never visit your dear-old-friend the dragon man anymore...," Zink gave a fake whine to his tone, a tiny puff of grey-ish smoke blowing from his nose. Malik rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest, please. Stop acting so cordial with me," he paused, leaning forward and taking the glass into his hand, bringing it up to his face, and wafting the air towards his nose.

    "The blood of an Eurn is highly illegal in Pendalia," Malik met Zink's eyes, which turned emotionless, cold.

    Eurns were large, feathery beasts with naked legs and no arms that preyed on decaying corpses in the woods at night.

    "Eurn's blood is highly lethal, and completely scentless when diluted by alcohol... excuse me, properly diluted by alcohol," Malik set the glass back down, folding his hands and resting his chin upon them. "Did you really think you could get that past me?," he straightened his rabbit ears high, giving full attention over to Zink, who held his glass tightly. Though, his expression remained stoic.

    Finally, after a long show of silence, Zink sighed and leaned forward, placing his glass down as well. "You seem a bit butt-hurt that I-," before Malik could finish his sentence, Zink had grabbed two knives from his shoe and threw one at Malik, who barely dodged it in time. Malik stood up and rushed behind the couch, and though his life was endangered, he smiled wildly in the face of peril. Zink now stood tall in a readied stance, gripping his other knife tightly. "That's more like it!," Malik snickered, bringing his own dagger out of his cloak pocket.

    It looked like an uneven match- a rabbit versus a dragon- but Malik had beaten him before, and he'd do it again.

    The two stared at each other intensely, icy blue meeting a vivid purple void in a gleam of pure hatred. No one made a move, both of them breathed so shallow you'd think they weren't at all. A huff of smoke exited Zink. He was ready.

    The dragon pounced, lunging forward onto the coffee table. Large, black wings spread wide from his back as he leaped over the sofa and Malik in a single bound, landing before him with his wings held out preeminently. Malik turned his stance, a faint smirk marking his unbothered expression. The rabbit lunged forward with the dager, Zink responded by leaning to the side and trying to get an undercut in, but only met a foot to the face. Zink stammered back, gritting his teeth tightly. Malik shook the blood off of his shoe.

    This time, Zink lunged, going right for Malik's stomach, but he dodged and grabbed his arm, throwing Zink off balance and into the back of the couch. Zink turned around furiously, Malik's brash grin making his blood boil. "I'll kill you!," he shouted in a spit of anger, throwing both his arms out in an attempt to grab Malik- but the clever rabbit ducked, throwing himself under Zink's legs and back-kicking him forward into the ground. Zink turned over fiercely, but Malik was already over him, pinning him down in victory.

    "You can't beat me, old friend. You know I am much wiser, much more agile than you are. Four thousand years and you could never-," without a warning, Zink had grabbed the back of Malik's head and pushed him forward against his lips. Malik's eyes widened and his face reddened. That wasn't quite the right reaction.

    Malik yanked himself away and squabbled, rubbing his tongue with his hand. "Ick! Ugh, you filthy, cheating dragon!," he spat, his ears fluffed in rage. "Why I oughta- You should- gah!," Malik stood up, glaring at Zink with a red, irritated face. "Call it a draw and I won't do it again," Zink winked, ruffling Malik's cottontail. He twitched his nose and tapped his foot quickly against the ground. "You vexatious fool!," Malik huffed before catching himself and drawing in a long, calm breath, and then letting it out slowly. Zink stood up now, his arms crossed in a relaxed position.

    It might have been hard to understand, but the two were actually friends. Just, in a different kind of way. The two didn't ever really hate each other, they just couldn't afford to care for one another. Politically, it was just too tense. There were still some Pendalians who preferred Zink's more calloused, unforgiving rule.

    Nonetheless, Zink was the only other demon in all of Rya that Malik knew could handle the job. Not as well as him, of course, but still sufficient enough so the cold country didn't starve to death during the harsh winter.

    "I came here to ask you to take my-"

    "You're resigning?," Zink's face lit up.

    A vein bulged on Malik's forehead, "No, let me finish you frivolous twit! I said, I came here to ask you to formally take my place as my proxy while I venture off on an urgent investigation with Queen Meabh of Monalae."

    "Ah yes, temporary leave... sure, sure, we'll see about that," Zink snickered deviously.

    "Can you at least wait until after I leave to plot your overthrowing?"

    "Fine, fine... in all seriousness, I'll help you out this once, Malik, and only because it leans slightly in my favor as well."

    "Thank you, Zink. Tonight, I warmly welcome you into my castle. Shall we be on our way?"

    "Certainly!," Zink suddenly chirped up once again, grabbing Malik in his arms like a child. "Zink, what the hell?!," Malik spat. "We're going the efficient way!," Zink replied, the door of the cabin bursting open as Zink began to run forward. As soon as his feet hit the grass, he threw his wings down against the air and shot them up into the midnight's sky, Malik screaming all the way.

    "I hate it when you do this, you infallible prick!"